October 21, 2004

Hollywood stars Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd are in talks to star in a remake of the classic 1930s social drama "The Women," the industry press said.

Rolling Stones musical icon Mick Jagger will produce the movie for New Line Cinema along with his Jagged Films production partner Victoria Pearman and Christopher Eberts, entertainment industry bible Daily Variety said.

The veteran British rocker front man will also supervise the soundtrack of the film, which will be the third he has produced.

In addition to Tinseltown darlings Ryan, Bening, Bullock and Judd, producers are also in negotiations with Uma Thurman to take a role in the movie, to be written and directed by Diane English.

"The Women" was one of Hollywood's biggest productions of 1939, starring its hottest properties of the day Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell.

The film, directed by George Cukor and based on a play written by Clare Booth Luce, tells the story of a catty socialite whose pals find out that her husband is having an affair with a shop girl.

Hollywood has been planning for years to remake the film, but it is a tough act to follow given the fact that social mores have changed dramatically in the past six decades.

But recent successes of all-female television shows such as "Sex in the City" has reignited the project.

"The original was funny but very mean-spirited," director English said. "It was Luce's attack on her gender.

The catalyst of the story is still one of the women discovering her husband is having an affair, and the reaction of her friends. Unless I screw it up, there's a built-in audience for this movie," she told Variety.